Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have intercepted the sum N5.882 billion that was about to be diverted by different Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The anti-graft agency also recovered the sum of N10 billion meant for COVID-19 vaccine production and returned it to the treasury as well as recovery of the sum of N10.986 billion in value-added tax (VAT) and remitted it to FIRS.

The Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu, who disclosed this at the headquarters of the commission, Abuja, on Tuesday during an end-of-the-year engagement, revealed that the commission also recovered $966,900.83 in foreign currency and has kept it in ICPC’s Central Bank of Nigeria account.

The engagement, which was scheduled to mark Aliyu’s one-year in office, had different dignitaries in attendance including the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede; the Commissioner of Sierra Leone’s Anti-corruption Commission, Francis Kaifala, among others.

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Speaking at the event, Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the commission finalised the forfeiture of assets valued at N2.5 billion and blocked the diversion of the N5.882 billion while conducting Systems Study and Review (SSR) for 323 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

He explained that SSR for MDAs was conducted through its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).

In his keynote address, the Commissioner of Sierra Leone’s Anti-corruption Commission, Francis Kaifala, called for a regional action to tackle corruption in Africa, adding that Nigeria’s corruption fight has inspired his country to improve its legal framework in the fight against corruption.

On his part, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adebowale Adedokun, has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s procurement system.